Automatic sprinkler-head.



0. B. GARRETT.

AUTOMATIC SPRINKLER HEAD. v

APPLICATION FILED PEB.17, 1909. 1,01 3,545. Patented Jan. 2, 1912.

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G. B. GARRETT. AUTOMATIC, SPRINKLER HEAD. APPLICATION FILED FEB. 17, 1909.

' Patented J an. 2, 1912.

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Wihzeasa fax/4 1TED srA'rns 'i ATENT OFFICE.

CHARLES 13. GARRETT, or MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA.

AUTOMATIC SPRINKLER HEAD.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 2,1912.

-App1ication filed February 17, 1909. Serial No. 478,452.

To all whom it may concern; Be it known that I, CHARLES B. GARRETT,

' a citizen of the United States, residing at it appertains to make'and use the same.

My present invention has for its object to provide an improved sprinkler head for use in connection with automatic fire extinciency.

Particularly, this invention has for its object to improve sprinkler heads of the type disclosed and claimed in my prior Patent No. 7 58,522, of date April'26, 1904, and No. 777,783, of date 'December 20, 1904.

To the above ends, the invention consists of the novel devices and combinations of devices hereinafter described and defined in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings which illustrate the improved sprinkler, like characters indicate like parts throughout the several views.

Referring to the drawings: Figure 1 is a view in front elevation, showing the improved sprlnkler'head; Fig. 2 is a vertical section taken on the line 00 m of Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is a horizontal section taken on the line m m of Fig. 2; Fig. 4 is an elevation, showing the cap and compression block of the sprinkler head removed from working position; Fig. 5 is a plan View of the cap; Fig. 6 is a plan view, showing a copper gasket which forms a part of the cap; Fig. 7 is a section taken on the line w" w" of Fig. 6;

Fig. 8 isa plan view of the compression tank; Fig. '9 is a section taken on the line 00 m of Fig. 8; Fig. 10 is a side elevation, showingthe compression member of a socalled toggle acting strut; Fig. 11 is a front elevation of the said compression member; Fig, 121s a front elevation of the lever member of the toggle acting strut; Fig. 13 is a side elevation of. the said lever, some parts being broken away; Fig. 14 is a front elevation of a detachable section of the strut lever; Fig. 15 is a side elevation of the same; Fig. 16 is a view corresponding to- Fig. 12,but showing a slightly modified construction; Fig. 17 is a view corresponding to Fig. 11, but showing a slightly modified form of the compression member of the strut, some parts being broken away; Fig. 18 is a front elevation corresponding to Fig. 14, but showing a slightly modified form of the detachable member of the strut lever; Fig. 19 is a plan view, showing a modified form of the strut locking device; and Fig. 20 is a view partly in side elevation and partly in vertical section, showing ajSt-lll further modified form of the strut locking device applied to the compression and lever members of the strut. ,In the drawings, the numeral 1 indicates a" nozzle which is adapted to be secured in the usual way to the pipe fitting of the fire extinguisher installation. The upper end of this nozzle 1 terminates in a raised annular cap seat or fla-nge 2, and is further provided with a yoke or arch 3 that supports at its upper portion, a hub or not block 4. An abutment screw 5 which will be further described later. on, is screwed axially through the hub 4 and projects below the same. A spraying head 6 is secured on the upper portion of the hub at and. projects bevond the same. a

The orifice or water discharge passage in the cap seat 2 is normally closed by a cap 7 preferably of bronze, between which and said seat, a thin copper gasket- 8 is interposed. The said cap 7 and gasket 8 are preferably centered by a plurality of cooperating depressions 9, and the said cap is preferably formed with an axial upwardly extended knob 10, that engages an axial seat of the so called compression block 11, preferably made of copper and provided with diametrically opposite pairs of laterally spaced lugs 12. The said parts 7, 8 and 11 are held together and the gasket 8 is ti htly pressed onto the sharp upper edge of the cap seat ,2, by a toggle acting strut of novel construct-ion, several forms of which are illustrated in the drawings. For'convenience in description, this toggle acting strut may be said to be made up of a compression member, a lever and a lock device, one of which members has parts connected by solder of proper fusibility. The compression member 13 of the strut, at its extreme lower end, is seated on the compression block 11 between the lugs 12 thereof, and it is stiffened by a longitudinally tion of this ever 15 is sli htly corrugation 15.

member 13 is extended corrugation 13, that terminates preferably slightly above its extreme lower end. At it up er end, the said compression ormed with spring prongs 13 that are bent laterally away from its intermediate upper end portion.13. The said bearing and 13 and the ends of the spring prongs 13 engage a slightly curved, nearly flat'seat 14, formed in the bend of the lever 15, which lever, in its short upper end which overlies and projects beyond the upper end of said compression member 13, is provided with a depression or seat 15* in which the lower end of the abutment screw 5 is seated. Ap roximately the up )er half porexible, while the lower half section t ereof is made inflexible by a central longitudinally extended To this inflexible portion of the lever 15, a detachable section 16 is secured by solder 17. The lower end of this ,crooked or laterally bent ends.

detachable section 16 ispreferably bent to form a hook 16. The lever 15, at the junction of its flexible and inflexible portions, is further stiffened by an arched rib 15. made up of a wire yoke 18 having eyes 18* at the ends of its prongs,

' WVhen the lock is a plied, the yoke 18v embraces the lower en portions of the compression member 13 of the strut, and the rod 19 is passed throu h the eyes 18" and seated in the hook 16 of the detachable lever section 16. It may be here stated that this section 16 really forms a part of the strut locking device, for when the solder 17 is melted, it

the lever 15 and permits the separates from fly to pieces, thereby restrut to buckle and leasing the cap 7 As best shown in Figs. 14: and 15, the sec- 4 tion 16 is provided with laterally spaced flanges 16 that are adapted to embrace the sides of the rigid or inflexible part of the lever 15. ,v

Fig; 16 shows a lever which is like that illustrated in Figs. 1, 2, 12 and 13, except that it is perforate cars 15, through which the flanges 16 of the detachable section 16 are adapted to be passed.

The assembled strut is put under the desired pressure by tightening the abutment screw 5 until the parts 7, S and 11 are properly seated (see Fig. 2), and then the outer end, of said screw is cutoff close to the upper end of the hub 4. To-secure tic abutment screw when it is properly set as above stated, a pin 19 is preferably driven through coincident perforations in the said screw and in the hub 4i. i

To solidify the strut after' it-,has been properly assembled, a small screw .20 is. screwed through a threaded seat 21 in the compression member 13,- until its. inner end and a lock rod 19 having- 2 and 18, that the .depress1on'15 provided with outwardly extended.

impinges against the inflexible end of the lever 15. 20 is preferably out oh, and the said screw secured to the said member 13 by solder indicated at 21.

In Fig. 17, the compression. member 13 of the strut is shown as provided with a Then the outer end of said screw vertically elongated slot 22, and in Fig. 18,-

the section 16 is'shown as provided with a hooked end 16.

Fig. 19 shows a lock plate 23, which at one end, is rovided with a transverse slot 24, and at its other end, is formed with a flat head 25 connected'to said plate by a narrow neck portion 26.. This device shown in Fig. 19, is adapted to take the place of the yoke 18 and lock rod 19. It is applied by in serting the flat head 25 thereof through the slot 22 of the compression member 13; then turning the said plate 23 into a horizontal position; and then inserting the hook 16 of the member 16 through the slot 2A thereof. The construction illustrated in Fig. 20 is like that illustrated in Figs. 17 18 and 19, except that the strut lever 27 is provided with a hook like lower end 28 adapted to be inserted through the slot 24 of the lock plate 23, and the said lock plate is made up of two sections connected by solder 29, shown as applied between interlapped transversely bent portions thereof.

With the lock plate construction shown in Figs. 17 to 20 inclusive, the shoulders, at the junction of the neck'26 with the body of the neck plate, serve to' solidify th'e strut structure' without the ustbf the screw 20.

By forming the strut flexibl section where the solder is applied between-the same and the detachable section 16, separation of the soldered members by a. peeling action which will be produced by flexibility at such place, is prevented. It

lever with the in should also be noted, see particularly Figs.

in the lever 15 in which the depending end of the abutment screw 5 is seated, forms aboss on the under side of the upper end of the lever, and affords a stop which prevents outward movement of the upper end of the compression member or strut proper 13 and thus holds the said compression member properly seated in the bearing surface or seat 14; of the said lever. Thisboss also fits in the corrugation of the compression member 13, thereby centering the said members 13 and 15 and aiding-in theproper assembling of the. strut" members. Furthermore, said boss permits the upper end of the compression member 13 to be seated on a comparatively flat portion of the lever, an making unnecessary an abrupt bend 1n the said lever, such as would tend to weaken the same. l

The valve, or cap, as it .is usually termed by those versed in the art, is the most radicahdeparture from previous forms. It is designed to improve the tightness of the joint, thereby preventing leakage of water or air; Means for the adjustment of the strutstructure on an elastic base become necessary if leakage was to be revented, andthe form here shown,- consisting of the soft j copper "compression block riding .on the spring hard cap, and registering'with-itand the soft copper gasket, affords means-for a dj.usti ng in a partially assembled form, and; when .complete closing is eflected, an

.ironing"-imovement is produced *onf-the Fgasket by the spring.;hard .cap, that improves com lately, the --co ,pressio n j cap the" joint to '3; great"? degree. When closed come -"an'inela'stic' unit. What- I ;elaimis:

..',1-1. In an. automatic" sprinkler, fa strut structure havingf-a.,member formed with flexible and, reinforced; inflexible portions.

""2. -.:In-;an automatic sprinkler, a; strut structure havinga lever'forined with flexible I and reinforced "inflexible" portions, and with ble portion. a 3.. In an automaticsprinkleig atogglefact-l ing strut comprising a compression member,

' abutment,

"a releasing membersolderedZto said inflexia lever having 'flexibleand'reinforced inflexible portions, and a strutf-lockingjmeans including a'sectionsecurediby solder to the inflexible" portion ofsaidilever. a

"4. In an automaticsprinkler, thecombination with a cap normally closing the discharge orifice thereof, of an abutment overlying said cap, a lever seated against said a. compression against said capand said lever,-fusible lockprising a longitudinallylcorrugat/ed 'com--- mg means oonnectingsaid leverjand com pression strut, and a sc'rew applied to said compression" strut, engaging said lever, and solidifying the strut, structure, s V

5 In an' :automatic sprinkler, the combination with a cap normallyclosingmhe discharge orifice thereofi. an abutment OYr1y-' ing said cap, and a toggleacting strut compression member seated. on said cap, a lever intermediately seated on said compression member-and reacting against said abutment, i I

Copies of this patent may be obtained for block and the strut seatedsaid lever having a corrugated inflexible lower end section, a plate or lever section secured to the inflexible portion lo'f said lever by fusible solder, and a locking device connecting said plate or lever section to sai compression member- 6. In an automatic sprinkler, the oonbination with a cap normally closing the discharge orifice, thereof, and ""an abutment bverlying'said cap, of a toggle acting strut comprising a compression member seated on said cap, a lever seated onsaid compresslon member, :provided at its upper end "with a depressed seat for said abutment, and formed at; its depending portion with a longitudinal", vcorrugation and with an arched rib extending transversely of the upper end of said corrugation, and fusible one of the' inembers for solidifying said.

strut until released by heat.-

9. In an automatic sprinkler, a cap normally closing the discharge orifice thereof, an abutment overlying said cap, a strut structure including a fusible member re acting against said abutment and' said cap, said cap comprising a copper gasket, a copper compression block and an intermediate member of relatively hard metal, the said compression block, being sprung. and pressed against the .said intermediate member, substantially as described.

' In testimony whereof I atfix my signature in presence of two witnesses;

oHARLEs B. GARRETT.

Witnesses: i

' HARRY D. KILGORE; R. P. HICKS.

five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, I). G. 

